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Local authorities placed the crowd at 2.5 million for Pope Leo XIV’s open-air Mass along Avenida del Libertador in the Argentine capital on Monday, doubling the previous high of 1.2 million who attended one of his events in Madrid earlier this year. The turnout made the service the largest of the US-born pontiff’s 18-month leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, which counts 1.5 billion members worldwide according to Vatican statistics. Reuters reported that the gathering capped the biggest event yet on the pope’s 12-day tour of South America that had already taken him to Uruguay before his arrival in Argentina on Sunday.
Vatican officials described the assembly at the Monumento a los Espanoles as a record for the current papacy, with pilgrims camping overnight and some traveling more than 1,000 kilometres to secure positions along the tree-lined boulevard. Crowds waved white-and-yellow Vatican flags while chanting “Long live Pope Leo” as the 71-year-old pontiff passed in an open-top popemobile under clear spring skies, according to footage broadcast by multiple outlets including the BBC. Police had cordoned off large sections of the city to create a secure perimeter, leaving normally busy streets nearly empty in the early hours before the event.
“It fills my heart with joy to celebrate with you,” Pope Leo XIV said during his sermon, adding that his visit had allowed him to see the enthusiasm of the faith on attendees’ faces. The pontiff paid tribute to his predecessor Pope Francis, the first Argentine pope who never visited his homeland during his own papacy, drawing sustained applause from the crowd as reported by Infobae. He also spoke of the importance of family as a place to encounter Christ through prayer and communion.
Earlier on Monday the pope visited the Cottolengo Don Orione home for people with disabilities in Claypole south of Buenos Aires, where he told residents and staff that a nation’s progress is measured by how it welcomes those with particular needs. The stop came after he had urged President Javier Milei the previous day to care for the weak and ensure economic growth benefits those facing difficulties, according to accounts from dpa international. The facility, founded in 1935, houses more than 400 people with disabilities across 123 acres.
The Mass took place at the same location where Pope John Paul II celebrated during the last papal visit to Argentina in 1987, nearly four decades earlier. Leo, who spent years as a missionary and bishop in Peru before his election in May 2025, will travel from Argentina to Peru later this week to complete the three-country tour that includes some 50 events. Argentina declared the day a national holiday to ease traffic and allow wider participation in the historic events.
Security remained tight throughout the day with barriers separating the faithful from the procession route, while vendors sold papal souvenirs along the pilgrim paths. The visit comes as the Church in the region faces competition from growing evangelical movements even while retaining strong cultural influence, a point Pope Leo highlighted in his remarks on the strength of South American Catholicism. Multiple news outlets including DW and RFI confirmed the scale of the welcome exceeded all prior turnouts for this pontiff since he assumed office.
